About Atlas Legal | English-Speaking Law Firm in South Korea

1. What Is Atlas Legal?

Atlas Legal (법무법인 아틀라스) is a Korean law firm based in Incheon Songdo, South Korea. The firm is licensed under Korean law and provides legal services governed by the Korean legal system — in English.

Firm Overview

What “English-Language Legal Services” Means at Atlas Legal

At Atlas Legal, English is used as a working language — not a courtesy — at the partner level. This means:

• Initial consultations are conducted in English
• Legal opinions, contract reviews, and strategic advice are communicated in English
• Email correspondence is handled in English with substantive, legally precise responses
• All court filings and Korean-language documents are prepared in Korean, as required by Korean procedural law, and explained to clients in English

This is meaningfully different from arrangements at many Korean firms where English inquiries are fielded by a non-lawyer staff member and summaries are relayed back to the client rather than direct partner communication.

2. Who Is Taejin Kim — Managing Partner?

Atlas Legal is led by Managing Partner Taejin Kim (김태진), whose background combines former prosecutorial experience, Korean academic credentials from one of Korea’s top law schools, and U.S. legal training. This combination is directly relevant to the firm’s core client base: foreign nationals and companies navigating a Korean legal system that intersects civil, corporate, and criminal law in ways that differ significantly from most Western jurisdictions.

Professional Background

Why the Former-Prosecutor Background Matters

Korean corporate disputes — particularly those involving embezzlement, breach of fiduciary duty, or trade secret misappropriation — frequently have both civil and criminal dimensions. In South Korea, it is common for a business dispute to generate simultaneous civil litigation and a criminal investigation or complaint. A lawyer who has experience only in corporate or civil law, and not in criminal procedure, is not well-positioned to advise on the interaction between these two tracks.

Taejin Kim’s prosecutorial background means the firm approaches criminal defense from the inside out: with a practical understanding of how Korean prosecutors assess cases, what factors influence the decision to indict versus not indict, and what arguments carry weight at the detention warrant stage — the critical hearing that determines whether a suspect is held in pre-trial detention or released.

Why the U.S. LL.M. Matters

The LL.M. from UC Davis provides two practical advantages for foreign clients. First, it ensures genuine English-language legal fluency — not just conversational English, but the capacity to engage with legal concepts, contractual language, and strategic options at a professional level in English. Second, it provides familiarity with common-law legal concepts that often arise in cross-border transactions and disputes — common-law contract terms, international commercial arbitration conventions, and the interaction between Korean and foreign legal systems.

3. What Are Atlas Legal’s Three Practice Areas?

Atlas Legal’s practice is organized around three areas, each of which addresses a distinct category of legal need commonly faced by foreign nationals and foreign companies in South Korea.

Practice Area 1: Corporate Advisory

Corporate advisory covers the legal work involved in establishing, structuring, and operating a business in South Korea. For foreign companies, this typically includes:

• Market entry structuring: Advising on the choice between a Korean subsidiary, branch office, and liaison office; foreign direct investment (FDI) notification filing; and coordination with tax advisors on the optimal structure
• Shareholder and governance documentation: Drafting and reviewing shareholder agreements, articles of incorporation, director service agreements, and board resolutions under the Korean Commercial Act (상법)
• Contract review and negotiation: Reviewing and advising on commercial contracts with Korean counterparties, including consideration of whether the CISG applies and how Korean mandatory law affects the contractual relationship
• Employment advisory: Advising on the classification of foreign senior employees as employees versus executives under Korean law — a distinction with significant consequences for severance, dismissal procedures, and criminal liability
• Compliance: Advising on Korean regulatory requirements relevant to foreign-invested companies, including trade secret protection protocols, non-compete structuring, and subcontracting law compliance

For more detail on specific corporate advisory topics, see the following posts on this blog:

Practice Area 2: Corporate Disputes

Corporate disputes covers litigation, arbitration, and provisional remedies in commercial and corporate matters. Common dispute types handled by Atlas Legal include:

• Contract breach and damages: Representing foreign companies as plaintiffs or defendants in Korean civil courts in claims arising from commercial contract breaches, including cross-border contracts governed by the CISG or Korean law
• Shareholder and management disputes: Advising on and litigating shareholder agreement breaches, director removal proceedings, injunctions against shareholder meetings, and share issuance disputes
• Trade secret misappropriation: Civil and criminal remedies for trade secret theft by departing employees or competing companies under the Unfair Competition Prevention and Trade Secret Protection Act (부정경쟁방지 및 영업비밀보호에 관한 법률)
• Debt recovery and enforcement: Pursuing unpaid claims through Korean civil proceedings, including applications for provisional attachment (가압류) of the debtor’s Korean assets prior to judgment
• Fraudulent transfer claims: Setting aside asset transfers made by a debtor to frustrate creditors under the Korean Civil Code’s creditor revocation right (채권자취소권)

Practice Area 3: White-Collar Criminal Defense

White-collar criminal defense covers the representation of individuals and companies under criminal investigation or prosecution in Korea for business-related offenses. This area is where Atlas Legal’s former-prosecutor background is most directly relevant. Common matters include:

• Embezzlement (횡령) and breach of fiduciary duty (배임): Allegations against corporate officers — including foreign executives — for misuse of company funds or assets
• Fraud (사기): Criminal complaints arising from business transactions that one party characterizes as fraudulent
• Trade secret crimes: Criminal prosecution under the Unfair Competition Prevention and Trade Secret Protection Act for acquisition or disclosure of trade secrets
• Customs and tax offenses: Import/export-related criminal matters, including under-declaration of customs value and related tax offenses
• Bribery and anti-corruption: Defense in cases involving alleged improper payments to public officials or private-sector bribery allegations

4. Who Does Atlas Legal Serve?

Atlas Legal’s client base consists primarily of foreign nationals, foreign-invested companies, and international businesses that need Korean legal representation conducted in English. The firm also advises Korean companies and individuals on matters involving cross-border elements or where English-language communication is required.

Client Types

Geographic Reach

While Atlas Legal is physically based in Incheon Songdo and primarily serves clients in the Incheon Free Economic Zone and broader Incheon area, the firm regularly handles matters for clients located elsewhere in South Korea and overseas. Initial consultations for overseas clients are conducted by email or video call, and in-person meetings are arranged when required for specific procedural steps or hearings.

5. Why Is Atlas Legal Based in Incheon, Not Seoul?

The decision to locate in Incheon rather than Seoul reflects the firm’s focus on serving the foreign business and expatriate community in the Incheon region — a community that has historically lacked accessible English-language legal services despite its scale and international character.

The Case for Incheon

Incheon is South Korea’s third-largest city and home to several factors that make it a natural base for a firm serving foreign clients:

• Incheon International Airport: The primary international gateway to South Korea, handling the majority of the country’s international passenger and cargo traffic. Companies in logistics, aviation, and cross-border trade cluster around the airport area.
• Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ): Encompassing Songdo, Cheongna, and Yeongjong, the IFEZ is home to a significant concentration of foreign-invested companies, multinational subsidiaries, and expatriate professionals — all of whom may need Korean legal services.
• Proximity to Seoul: Incheon is approximately one hour from central Seoul by road or rail, meaning that matters requiring Seoul-based court appearances or government filings are handled without difficulty, while clients in Incheon do not need to travel to Seoul for their own consultations.

What This Means for Clients

For foreign clients based in the IFEZ or Incheon area, Atlas Legal’s location means in-person consultations without a trip to Seoul — a practical advantage when matters move quickly and time matters. For overseas clients, the location is irrelevant to the day-to-day handling of their matter, since consultations are available by video call and document exchange is handled electronically.

6. How Can You Work with Atlas Legal?

Getting started with Atlas Legal is straightforward. The firm accepts English-language inquiries by email and phone, and responds substantively — not with a generic acknowledgment — within one business day for routine matters and on the same day for urgent criminal matters.

How to Get in Touch

What to Include in Your First Message

To receive the most useful initial response, it is helpful — though not required — to briefly describe in your first message: (1) the nature of the legal issue (criminal investigation, contract dispute, company formation, etc.); (2) the parties involved and their nationalities or jurisdiction; and (3) any relevant deadline or urgency. There is no need to share confidential details in the first message. A brief overview is sufficient to determine whether and how the firm can assist, and a more detailed confidential discussion follows under engagement.

Further Reading by Practice Area

7. FAQ

Atlas Legal has advised foreign nationals and foreign-invested companies on Korean legal matters across corporate advisory, commercial disputes, and criminal defense — with English as the working language at every stage. The firm’s combination of former-prosecutor background, U.S. legal training, and on-the-ground presence in the Incheon Free Economic Zone positions it as a practic